Intelligent Weapons

[TRX850]

did someone take another persons soul and forge it into a weapon?

 

Intelligent or sentient weapons are usually regarded as being an artifact or relic of antiquity, information on which is often shrouded in mystery. So they're unlikely to have been created recently, but there could be exceptions.

 

But yes, traditionally (in fiction at least) they are imbued with an ancient spirit or soul that remains unaffected by time. So if they are discovered in a long lost tomb for example, they might insist that the new owner complete a quest that the previous owner did not.

 

There are many variations to this of course, and I'd be excited to see what Obsidian could come up with.

[Lephys]

It should also be cursed, for I can think of no greater curse than a chatty sword.

 

"Are we there yet?"

 

No.

 

"Are we there yet?"

 

No.

 

"What about now?"

 

...

 

Haha. Or one that's a ventriloquist and mimics your characters' voices in imperative situations and gets them into trouble.

[TRX850]

Like Michael Winslow (from Police Academy) making squeaky shoe noises when you walk.

 

You get paranoid and stop to listen. Nothing.

 

You take a few steps and the squeaking returns. You stop again. Nothing.

Edited January 5, 2013 by TRX850

[Lephys]

Like Michael Winslow (from Police Academy) making squeaky shoe noises when you walk.

 

You get paranoid and stop to listen. Nothing.

 

You take a few steps and the squeaking returns. You stop again. Nothing.

 

Masterwork Steel Longsword: 100 gold.

Mithril Plate Armor: 200 gold.

Michael Winslow in the form of a legendary weapon: Priceless.

Edited January 5, 2013 by Lephys

[rjshae]

It should also be cursed, for I can think of no greater curse than a chatty sword.

 

"Are we there yet?"

 

No.

 

"Are we there yet?"

 

No.

 

"What about now?"

 

...

Noober, the sword of heya.

[AGX-17]

I can live without 'em. The few I've seen have all been made borderline psychotic; presumably because that's the only way the developers could give an otherwise inert object a persona. Besides, there will already be enough interactions with the other party members. If they must put an intelligent weapon in the game, then I hope they make it a likeable persona without a radical agenda.

 

The JRPG Tales of Destiny revolved around the concept. There was also a "Sword Familiar" in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Nothing psychotic or evil going on in either case.

[Tamerlane]

 

Just remember that talking weapons tend to get very bored when left in sacred shrines for too many years.

[rjshae]

I can live without 'em. The few I've seen have all been made borderline psychotic; presumably because that's the only way the developers could give an otherwise inert object a persona. Besides, there will already be enough interactions with the other party members. If they must put an intelligent weapon in the game, then I hope they make it a likeable persona without a radical agenda.

 

The JRPG Tales of Destiny revolved around the concept. There was also a "Sword Familiar" in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Nothing psychotic or evil going on in either case.

 

Okay. I don't doubt but that you could make an entire CRPG centered around an intelligent weapon, perhaps with it serving as your Avatar. It might even get to be fun after a while being a talking symbiotic sword.

[Farbautisonn]

Well I actually like intelligent weapons. I loved lilacor but he does get rather annoying.

 

I wouldnt mind an intelligent weapon as long as there was a chance of artifact possesion or some other danger to using it. One of my favorite intelligent weapons by a gm was that of a beatifull dagger that had apparently the soul of an extremely beautifull female thief inside. She latched onto the thief in the party and whenever he got into a fight the dagger started whispering of the women he had bedded, the fights he had won and how great a guy he was (morale bonus). On the downside she was extremely jealous and would cause the rogue to disregard any woman of beauty (giving a minus to reaction with females and especially so of the noble or powerfull kind). In the end the guy was almost dependent on the weapon in a "gollum'esque" kind of way, consumed by his desire to "get her out of the dagger". Made for interesting questing.

[Nonek]

Wonder if a Cipher could in desperation latch his soul onto a steel blade at the moment of his death, then wait and watch over the years, determined to find himself a new puppet of flesh.

[JFSOCC]

Like the sword from colour of magic (terry pratchett)

Now that's a sword with character

[AGX-17]

I can live without 'em. The few I've seen have all been made borderline psychotic; presumably because that's the only way the developers could give an otherwise inert object a persona. Besides, there will already be enough interactions with the other party members. If they must put an intelligent weapon in the game, then I hope they make it a likeable persona without a radical agenda.

 

The JRPG Tales of Destiny revolved around the concept. There was also a "Sword Familiar" in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Nothing psychotic or evil going on in either case.

 

Okay. I don't doubt but that you could make an entire CRPG centered around an intelligent weapon, perhaps with it serving as your Avatar. It might even get to be fun after a while being a talking symbiotic sword.

 

That's... not what the idea was behind ToD.

[Farbautisonn]

Strictly speaking LotR is basically a story about an intelligent weapon. If you choose that point of view.

[Tsuga C]

Stormbringer and Mournblade, weapons with their own agenda and no reluctance about acting upon their desires. R.I.P. Elric and Moonglum...

[Atreides]

Should I use a weapon that gets more powerful as it makes more kills, the more souls it harvests and feeds on?

[Osvir]

Should I use a weapon that gets more powerful as it makes more kills, the more souls it harvests and feeds on?

 

Just going to refer to AGX's post, there's more, I just cut out what I felt most relevant:

And ignoring the fact that orcs are not going to be in P:E, a sword that can suck up hundreds of souls would be some kind of abomination forged by the most powerful and evil demons of whatever hells might exist in that world. Besides that, such a soul-entrapping weapon filled with 100 souls of 'x' species/race would be hampered by that host of 100 'x' souls. If you have a sword full of vengeful orc ghosts (not in the P:E context since there are no orcs in P:E,) they're going to do whatever they can to hinder you in combat against orcs so that their deaths might be avenged by their own bretheren.

 

Intelligent Enemies that linger on in Soul-Form and becomes Intelligent Weapons?

Edited January 7, 2013 by Osvir

[TRX850]

Should I use a weapon that gets more powerful as it makes more kills, the more souls it harvests and feeds on?

 

Something I haven't seen in an IE game before. Imagine having to "level up" your intelligent weapon? Could be awesome, but could become overpowered, unless they put some level cap in. But it's an excellent question, Atreides.

[Gfted1]

Should I use a weapon that gets more powerful as it makes more kills, the more souls it harvests and feeds on?

 

Something I haven't seen in an IE game before. Imagine having to "level up" your intelligent weapon? Could be awesome, but could become overpowered, unless they put some level cap in. But it's an excellent question, Atreides.

 

Torchlight 2 had weapons that level up after a certain amount of kills. They werent intelligent and (afaik) could only be leveled up once, but it was cool.

[Lephys]

Should I use a weapon that gets more powerful as it makes more kills, the more souls it harvests and feeds on?

 

Something I haven't seen in an IE game before. Imagine having to "level up" your intelligent weapon? Could be awesome, but could become overpowered, unless they put some level cap in. But it's an excellent question, Atreides.

 

Fable 3 actually had a system like this. It was just horribly done. Each weapon had 3 things you could "earn" on it, essentially. For a simple example, killing 200 bandits with one might give it fire damage. The sword would look different, too, though. The metal would sometimes change texture, or even shape, and it might deal more damage, or a different type, or even give you a non-combat bonus (such as charisma modifier or something).

 

I love the idea behind the system. But, as I said, sadly, in Fable 3, it wasn't done very well at all. All but about 10% of the weapon effects were either useless, or were ridiculously huge chores to obtain, and sometimes both (like "Get 50 people to love you and gain 5 damage! 8D)

[Jobby]

Sentient weapons, done properly could be a lot of fun i think, some of the ideas here have been great such as an intelligence/will check to see if the player becomes possessed, or a quest where your goal is to free the soul from the weapon, perhaps at the cost of some weapon stats but with the benefit of another recruitable npc.

 

I also think i really cool scenario would be where you have a weapon imbued with the soul of some deity's servant, give this weapon to a Paladin/Monk/Cleric who worships said deity (perhaps an NPC) and you could have some really interesting dialogue, imagine your paladin having a theological argument with his sword.